Canada Post shake-up: Is your rural outlet safe?
The future of many rural post offices in the London region is uncertain as the long‑standing moratorium preventing their closure has been lifted. The federal government announced significant changes aimed at helping the financially strained Canada Post regain stability and reduce expenses.
Canada Post, losing around $10 million each day and more than $5 billion since 2018, faces mounting pressure as letter mail volumes decline and private couriers dominate parcel delivery. The shift marks a major effort to reshape the corporation’s structure and restore efficiency.
“The minister in charge of the Crown corporation laid out major changes to Canada Post’s business model in late September and gave it 45 days to come back with a new plan to turn things around.”
Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound announced the reforms in late September, setting a 45‑day deadline for a recovery strategy. Within hours, the union representing 55,000 postal employees began a two‑week national strike, later replaced by rotating service interruptions.
Since 1994, about 3,700 post offices had been shielded from closure under the moratorium. Lightbound confirmed that this protection for rural outlets will end, raising concern in many small communities across Southwestern Ontario.
Author’s summary
The federal plan to lift Canada Post’s rural closure ban puts hundreds of local post offices at risk as the corporation seeks to recover from years of deep financial losses.